Yankees place Luis Cruz on DL, recall David Adams

The Yankees have placed infielder Luis Cruz on the 15-day DL with a right knee sprain, the team announced. He apparently suffered some MCL damage while making that sliding catch in shallow right near he foul line on Monday. David Adams has been recalled from Triple-A to fill the roster spot.

Cruz, 29, has played very good defense on the left side of the infield but has hit just .182/.224/.200 (14 wRC+) in 59 plate appearances with New York. The 26-year-old Adams hit .190/.260/.276 (47 wRC+) in a 128 plate appearance cameo earlier this year, though he’s put up a .289/.426/.500 batting line in 11 Triple-A games since being sent down. I assume Adams, who had a .407 OBP in seven games before being sent down, will take over as the everyday third baseman with Brent Lillibridge handling utility infielder duties.

I’m a big Adams fan, so I’m def rooting for the guy. Tough to see him struggle earlier…let’s hope he can contribute consistently this time.

emac2

He struggled for awhile but stopped swinging at bad pitches and was coming around nicely when they sent him down. I hope they put him at 3rd for the rest of the season to see if he can handle the job next year.

I would have JR, Adonis and Ronnier up pretty soon as well for the same reason.

Matt B

completely agreed on Adams, roster as is, he should be up and stay up. Prior to the year, I would have been all about Ronnier breaking camp with the big club and I’d love to see him make it up – but just can’t do it right now, working his way back, 0 for his last 20 something down on the farm.

JR for me is much more complicated – I think you maybe give him a little taste in September, but no way I am bringing him up if he’s not going to be the starter, and (a) he’s just not going to the be starter regardless and (b) he’s made tremendous strides but that’s just awfully aggressive to work him from AA to the big club so quickly. Dude’s still sort of a wild card and Lord knows what the catching plan is, if there is one. But in a world where the Yanks potentially pursue a McCann (in looking at FA, onlY Salty even remotely interests me, and he’s having his best year, that one’s a pass), potentially get Cervelli back and hopefully learn a bit more about what’s actually there, etc. So many moving variables, i think you let J.R. play everyday at AAA and hopefully continue to rake and improve behind the plate.

emac2

I would be comfortable bringing JR up for a couple week trial and giving him most of the starts. I don’t think this team has anything to lose at this point and I don’t think players get damaged from moves like that. If JR started for 2 weeks do you think he would hit worse than our current catchers?

I agree Ronnier isn’t ready yet and would give him a couple of weeks to get back into shape but once he’s fully recovered I want him here. I wouldn’t bring him up if he went 0 for the next 20 but as soon as he has a week of strong at bats I would bring him up.

JGNYC

Another injury? Sure, why not?

Robinson Tilapia

Did that one who renounced his fandom over Adams’s release ever come back?

I’d much prefer seeing whether Adams made some adjustments to the Attorney General, Part 33 1/3rd.

JLC 776

I’m definitely happy to see Adams again. He’s shown enough consistency in AAA that I think he could do okay in the majors given enough time.

Okay, now quick topic change – if the Yankees are out of it come September, can we have a game where Lillibridge plays all nine non-DH positions in one game? He’s done everything but pitch and catch, let’s do it for the pointless, baseball stat novelty!

Former ACE MannyGeee

…should he still be in Pinstripes at that time.

Sweet Dick Willie

At this point, the list of who hasn’t been on the DL this year is probably shorter than the list of who has.

Random Guy

God, I’m starting to miss Nix

SDB

We need someone who’ll help the team EVERY day.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadgeek/ Roadgeek Adam

So, Brent Lillibridge has Adams’ 39.

22 or 63 or does the Front Office do something different for a change. Either way, my roster of numbers is going nuts.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadgeek/ Roadgeek Adam

Also, you know its been that kind of season if after 22, 63 is the lowest number you have available…

Andrew

Adams should follow the ballplayer tradition of irrational superstition and pick a new number. It’ll be the key to him figuring out big league pitching.

JLC 776

I’d also endorse the Krukian approach of trading a number for a case of beer.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadgeek/ Roadgeek Adam

At this point the Yankees should lobby for 101 becoming an option in baseball. NPB uses it. :P

Matt B

Never hoping to see someone hurt, and while I think mine (and most’s) suspicions are that Cruz’s 2012 was a major outlier (one might look at his Triple A career slash .280/.310/.441 and think, hey, not too bad if he’s great defensively at short – but one would also have to note that he’s 28 and had played some semblance of AAA ball going all the way back to 2005, we’re talking 2000 PA here, many coming in ages 26-28 seasons), but I didn’t mind the pickup – as a candidate to play short, never imagining the day I’d see a Cruz/AG platoon manning third.

In any event,he’d been dreadful and one can rightly argue that while still relatively competitive in a race, you simply have to try something else, I have been, and am a proponent of, barring superior options, telling Adams, you’re the everyday 3B for now and seeing if he settles in a little better in his second taste.

I don’t think Adams has got star written all over him, tough to tell as the injuries have really limited his PA even in the minors (less than 150 at AAA), but he’s hit wherever he’s been. Yeah, some guys are AAAA hitters, but given the state of the club at the moment, I’m happy to see if Adams is able to make some adjustments and start to project as a league average bat.

Not waving the white flag entirely on this season, btw, if the Yanks can sensibly upgrade at 3B (via Alex Rodriguez or otherwise), it’s a no brainer. But till then, let Adams play, start to find out what you have.

I would also have said the same thing about Mustelier, even ahead of Adams – both whether his bat would translate and if he conceivably stand at 3B. But it’s clearly been a lost year for him, and probably his ship, if there ever was a ship, has sailed.

Ha, you know you’re searching when you’re taking comfort in things like hey, Ivan Nova pitched pretty well again, and hey, Eduardo Nunez is at .313/.314/.396 since being back (lord knows how he managed the .01 IsoD, looks to me like he’s drawn one BB this month and hasn’t been hit – maybe a few sacrifices worked in there (and of course, prior to the past three days, Nuney’s .slg for the month was a robust .250, two doubles in Fenway and a triple in Texas go a long way).

Former ACE MannyGeee

I don’t disagree. EVERY team, your New York Yankees included, put someone who they think is ready (or the most ready for their position of need) most famously Melky, Gardner and Almonte.

Matt B

Look obviously as Yankee fans we’re tremendously spoiled in that we’ve gotten to enjoy winning baseball for such a sustained stretch, and even some clubs that were severely hampered by injury (’05 pitching staff, ’06 outfield, all over the map in .08) – that said they’ve largely had the “luxury” of never having to really aggressively promote within, which is lucky, because I think it’s safe to say that since start ’05 (arbitrary starting point, believe me, I understand the Yanks developed Jeter, Bernie, Jorge and lots of the dynasty supplemental pieces), the Yanks have shown virtually without fail a tendency to give a catch-lighting or reclamation vet a long long look before promoting from within – but that’s partially understandable given that they’ve developed what, four impact major league position players in that time frame? I’m counting Cano, the only stud, Garnder, Melky, and Austin Jackson – I’m even willing to be generous and toss in Tabata and Navarro (dude had one real good year). Of course it’s tough to build a great farm drafting low, and Jackson, for me, is the only position player they’ve dealt since ’05 that maybe you wish you had back – though I’d still have made the Granderson deal,

I’m not anti-Zoilo by any means, I believe he’s a major league player, would be happily surprised if he ever approaches an above average, everyday player on a good team. Mustelier, while not all that young, I would have loved to have seen, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of Adams for sure.

Robinson Tilapia

This is how a rational, intelligent person makes the points others swing and miss at on a daily basis around here.

Thank you, Matt.

I’ll add that I do think they hot-shotted Melky out of necessity during his first call-up, and that we’re also pretty damn spoiled in complaining about a 2013 team five games over .500 at the moment.

mustang (The Has Beens & Wannabes Bunch 2013)

I hope David has Aflac.

Cy Pettitte

looks like Adams might not be here for long, ARod got a second opinion and the doctor who gave it just went on WFAN for an interview and said he found no injury, ARod is planning to be back with the team Friday.

Former ACE MannyGeee

and suspended by Sunday

Cy Pettitte

he’ll appeal and probably be able to play the rest of the season as the process drags on, I don’t think there’s any way he cuts a deal like Braun did.

Matt B

I’m not so sure about the immediate suspension given all the reporting. Sounds like just to miss the rest of this year, he’d basically be taking a plea, which by all indication, he’s not prepared to do.

I’ve always been an A-Rod defender, and to some extent, I still am. And in my dreams, what I wouldn’t give to get him back for the remainder of this year and have him suspended for the entirety of next year. I believe that even hobbled, he’s without a doubt a substantial upgrade this year – and yeah, they’ll need someone to play 3B next year. But if they truly plan to stick to austerity, freeing up the Alex money for 2014 is manna from heaven – done creatively, with some of the other stuff off the books (Mo sadly, Andy, Jeter’s salary cut, maybe Kuroda though I think they need him back if he’ll come), that Rod money would let you be under 189 and add anywhere from 2 truly big time impact players (the merits can be debated, but in my mind it’s McCann and Beltran)to 3-4 helpful pieces, while resigning Robbie. Would make ’14 much more of an actual transition year, giving some of the upper end positional talent on the farm more reps, more a sense of what they’ll be.

Andrew Brotherton

Rio Ruiz is still hitting well with Scranton, I think he may get a call-up sometime soon

yooboo

Oakland designated Vinnie Catricala. Yankees should pick him up and try to straight his hitting skill out. If it works out, he could be a better option at 3b replacing Arod next year.

Former ACE MannyGeee

At this point, no DFAd infielder would surprise me. I joked (only 1/2 in jest) with some friends yesterday that Pittsburgh booked Brandon Inge a ticket to LaGuaradia as a parting gift and as thanks for his time in the Pirates Organization.